Mischa Maisky

Mischa Maisky – A Biographical Timeline

Born in 1948 in Riga, Latvia, Mischa Maisky received his first music lessons there at the Children’s Music School and Conservatory. In 1962 he entered the Leningrad Conservatory. In 1965 his debut with the Leningrad Philharmonic earned him the nickname “Rostropovich of the Future”. One year later he was a prizewinner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and began his studies with Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatory while pursuing a concert career throughout the former Soviet Union. After being imprisoned in a labour camp near Gorky for 18 months in 1970, he emigrated from the USSR.

1973

Settles in Israel; wins the 1973 Cassadó Competition in Florence; debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under William Steinberg; after the concert an anonymous admirer gives him an 18th-century Montagnana cello on which he still performs today

1974

Studies with the legendary Gregor Piatigorsky, thus becoming the only cellist to have studied with both Piatigorsky and Rostropovich

1975

Beginning of his international career

1976

London concerto debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

1977

London recital debut with pianist Radu Lupu

1982

First recording for Deutsche Grammophon: Brahms’s Double Concerto with Gidon Kremer and the Wiener Philharmoniker under Leonard Bernstein

1985

Signs his first exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon; records Schumann’s Concerto with Bernstein and the Wiener Philharmoniker (released 1986); on CD: Bach’s Cello Sonatas with Martha Argerich and Bach’s Six Solo Suites

1989

Releases include Dvorák’s Cello Concerto and Bloch’s Schelomo with Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic

1992

First appearance at the Proms in London; CD: Adagio, Romantic pieces with the Orchestre de Paris under Semyon Bychkov

1995

Returns to Moscow for the first time in 23 years to give a concert and to record works by Prokofiev and Miaskovsky with Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra; CD release: Vivaldi and Boccherini concertos with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

1997

Releases include a Tchaikovsky disc with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Songs Without Words by Brahms

1998

Appears with Argerich and Kremer in Tokyo performing piano trios by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky (recorded live); Releases: the anthology Cellissimo with pianist Daria Hovora and Saint-Saëns with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Daria Hovora

1999

On CD: Après un rêve; the Brahms Sonatas and his second recording of the Bach Suites

2000

“Bach Marathon” in Zurich playing all of Bach’s works for cello in three concerts on one day; over 100 Bach concerts worldwide

2001

CD release: Maisky and Argerich Live in Japan

2002

Recitals with Argerich at Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center; with pianist Sergio Tiempo at the Salzburg Festival; trio recital with Argerich and Kremer at Carnegie Hall. On CD: Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonatas with Tiempo

2004

Appearances with Santa Cecilia, the Royal Philharmonic and Radio France Philharmonic orchestras; tour with the Czech Philharmonic; on tour in Japan with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra; recitals and chamber appearances in Europe, the USA, Korea, Japan and at various festivals. On CD: Dvorák and Strauss with Mehta and the Berliner Philharmoniker; chamber music by Brahms and Schumann with Argerich, Kremer and Bashmet

2005

Concert appearances throughout Europe and in Japan. Benefit concert for Asian tsunami victims with Thomas Quasthoff at Vienna’s Musikverein. Release: live recording of Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Stravinsky with Martha Argerich

Performances include appearances with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thailand Philharmonic, the Shanghai, Barcelona and Prague Symphony Orchestras (all Dvorák). Chamber music with Argerich and Renaud Capuçon (Progetto Martha Argerich), Gililov, Tiempo, Kremer (Salzburg Festival), Hélène Grimaud (Verbier Festival), Itamar Golan, Lily Maisky and Julian Rachlin in Europe and the Far East. CD-release of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. On DVD: Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello; a special release of works by Haydn and Schumann, with the Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Bernstein, in celebration of Maisky’s 60th birthday; Brahms’s Double Concerto with the Wiener Philharmoniker and Bernstein

2008

World premiere of Yusupov’s Cello Concerto with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under Yuri Temirkanov in Lucerne. Concerts with the Dresden Staatskapelle and Moscow Virtuosi; tours of Israel and Mexico with the Israel Philharmonic and with the Dresden Philharmonic to South Korea. Chamber music, mainly with Argerich, Lily Maisky and Gililov, in Europe and Asia. Release of Elégie, a selection of works by Rachmaninov arranged by Maisky and performed with pianist Sergio Tiempo

2009

Concerts with the Philharmonic orchestras of Radio France, Munich, London, Copenhagen, Oslo and St. Petersburg; chamber music with pianists Lily Maisky, Gililov and Golan; festival appearances at Verbier, Salzburg, Bucharest (Enesco), Utrecht (International Chamber Music) and Beijing. Released this year: Morgen, featuring chamber music by Richard Strauss and Dvorák, with Pavel Gililov, and Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov Piano Trios, with Vadim Repin and Lang Lang

2010

European tour with the Moscow Virtuosi; Riga concert and Japan tour with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra; concert appearances including the Basle Chamber, Royal Flanders Philharmonic and Salzburg Mozarteum orchestras, Trondheim Soloists, National Symphony orchestras of Washington and Kazakhstan; recitals with Martha Argerich, Lily Maisky, as well as programmes featuring Bach’s solo suites; festivals including the Israel Chamber Music in Eilat, Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano, Schumann 200 in Lucerne, plus Verbier, Salzburg, Dubrovnik and Utrecht

2011

World premiere of Shchedrin’s double concerto Romantic Offering with Martha Argerich and the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under Neeme Järvi, in Lucerne and on tour; concert in The Hague and German tour with Järvi and the Hague Residentie Orchestra; further concerts with the Royal Philharmonic, Prague Chamber, Montreal Symphony, Danish National Symphony and Hamburg Philharmonic orchestras plus the Israel Camerata and Kremerata Baltica; chamber music including the Bach suites and recitals featuring pianists Lily Maisky, Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Itamar Golan and violinists Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, Gidon Kremer, Julian Rachlin and Sascha Maisky; festivals including Progetto Martha Argerich, Turgutreis International Classic (Bodrum, Turkey), Musica Mundi (Genval, Belgium), and Tsar’s Village Music (St. Petersburg), as well as Verbier, Salzburg and Dubrovnik. Released this year (and on tour in Germany, Austria, Spain and the Far East): ¡España!, songs and dances from Spain with Lily Maisky

2012

Plans include a North American tour with the Moscow Soloists, concerts with the Los Angeles, Bremen, Belgrade and Monte-Carlo Philharmonic orchestras, as well as the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and Wintherthur Musikkollegium; chamber music with Lily and Sascha Maisky plus Bach suites; festival appearances in Schwetzingen, Verbier, Piatigorksy Cello (Los Angeles) and Storioni (Tilburg, Netherlands)